Bones Journal, 2021

brainstorming out of the blue porcelain 

Bones, no. 22 March 15th 2021

Fireflies’ Light: A Magazine of Short Poems

climate change


torrential rain
the loud slogans
of c(l)im(ate)


seashore debris...
the low pitched cry
of a herring seagull


heatwave—
my thoughts sink
into a perfect mirage


pointed icicles
the climate change myths
suspended in the fog


orange clouds
the faded memory
of spring dreams


bushfire—
rows of black stubble
in the family farm


footprints
of the sea ghost...
lichens on a rock


deforestation—
entangled my feet
the gnarled roots


ice eggs
tracing back
my past


arguments
about our future
acid rain


intermittent lightning
I seek solace
in my childhood dreams


climate change—
losing my shadow
in the day fog


----------------------------------

haiku grids

nimbus clouds	away from home	passing through	winter dream
drifting in the ripples	apple blossom petals	a moonlit path	lost into the fog
evening thoughts	stick to my hair	the first vow	nostalgia

ice eggs	under my feet	late night journey	without you
into pieces	a big sinkhole	out of nowhere	the falling star lost
old vows	his confession	the blue moon	inside me

Fireflies’ Light, issue #22 of Fireflies’ Light: A Magazine of Short Poems.

The Mamba Journal of Africa Haiku Network, 2021

city riots deepening the minaret’s cracks

The Mamba Journal of Africa Haiku Network, issue 11

Suspect Device Zine, 2021

dense smoke
the blueness of sky
fading more

murmuration—
plumes of a raven
scattered in the air

Suspect Device Zine, issue 7

------

remnants of war
bending more
Kabul River


Kabul Airport
between arrival and departure
blood moon


Khyber Pass
a mourning dove
along the serpentine road 

Suspect Device Zine, September 2021

------------

goshawk gaze 

each bird on the tree 

becomes a silhouette

Suspect Device Zine, March 2021

------------

last goodbye
on the way home
distant stars

-------


attic trunk
among his love letters
moth wings


Suspect Device Zine, March 2021

Wales Haiku Journal, 2021

summer drizzle 

the steady cawing 

of a house rooster

Wales Haiku Journal, Autumn 2021 issue

-------

neon lit pond 

how shallow 

its silence

Wales Haiku Journal, Summer 2021 issue

-----------------------

Black Wings 

wind through rafters

the pressing burden

of a secret

JH

 

written on the wall

the pain of love

HA

 

storm light

buffing the cloud base 

nail marks in her palms

JH

 

blurred trails intertwine

with self-imposed isolation

HA

 

north wind

lines of black stubble

over fields of rape

JH

 

crows circle around

deep snow furrows

HA

 

hardening frost

wings of dread 

from her shoulders

JH

 

white ashes of longing

dissipate in reckless night

HA

 

stone road

runnels of dirt water

gutter with rumour

JH

 

early autumn leaves

stuffed in the sinkhole

HA

 

time’s drift

the long walk home

tightens its spiral

JH

 

shrouds of dust

in the land of infidelity

HA

 

hunkering down

night unfurls black folds

of understanding

JH

 

shedding my illusions

I make peace with shadows

HA

​

Hifsa Ashraf & John Hawkhead 

Wales Haiku Journal, winter issue, 2021

Prune Juice Journal, 2021

back to normal

traffic congestion
finding no space
to reflect

crossroads winds
never coming back

display window
all the mannequins
with masks

city drifter
the close of a song
from an upstairs window

sidewalk flowers
tracing the past

intersection
between then and now
dust and ash


Hifsa Ashraf & John Hawkhead
Prune Juice, November 2021

---------

root canal 

the dentist digs deeper 

into my past

Prune Juice, issue 35

---------

berry picking . . . 

a refugee mother’s hands 

furl unfurl 

Ramadan moon 

I make peace 

with the inner demons 

also on The Haiku Foundation - per diem/haiku of the day 30th November 2022

displacement camp 

a Syrian boy befriends 

the snowman

Prune Juice Journal, issue 34

------

night drizzle . . .
an uninterrupted lullaby
of the refugee mother

pulling back
her black hijab
evening storm

fading out
the muezzin’s call––
torrential rain

Prune Juice Journal, Issue 33

A LITTLE IRIS HAIKU CONTEST, CROATIA 2020

paper recycling… 

the wind whistles 

through a canopy of trees

a commendation in 'A LITTLE IRIS HAIKU CONTEST, CROATIA 2020 selected out of 323 haiku submitted by 114 poets from 27 countries.